US Capitol Informational Text

Warm Up

Working cooperatively in small mixed ability groups, students will use the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool to analyze the advertisements. Guiding questions for each section of the resouce are listed below

Observe

What do you notice first?

Find something small but interesting.

What do you notice that you didn't expect?

What do you notice that you can't explain?

What do you notic that you didsee earlier?

Reflect

Where do you think this came from?

Why do you think somebody made this?

What do you think was happening when this was made?

Who was the audience?

What tool was used to create this?

Why is this item important?

What can you learn by examining this?

Question

What do you wonder about...who?

What do you wonder about...what?

What do you wonder about...when?

What do you wonder about...why?

What do you wonder about...where?

What do you wonder about...how?

Further Investigation: In the Further Investigation section, have students take a virtual tour of the Capitol and write a 1-sentence summary for each of the column headings on the Primary Source Analysis Tool (Observe, Refelct & Question)

Extension: On the back of thier Primary Source Analysis tool, students can conduct further investigation using the Architect of the Capitol virtual tour.

Divide students into groups and present each group with the challenges below. With the documents, distribute the captions and questions as shown. If some groups finish earlier than others, you may wish to add or subtract questions from the groups' assignments to create better balance in their workloads.

Group 1: What Has Happened In and Around the Capitol?Task question: What do the following images of the Capitol have to do with important events in U.S. history? Answer any question(s) accompanying an image. In your presentation, make clear to the class how these photographs show the Capitol is an important building.

Mural in U.S. Capitol Building showing the burning of the Capitol in 1814. By Allyn Cox, 1974Why is the Capitol burning?

The Army of the Potomac Paraded Down Pennsylvania Avenue. By Matthew Brady, 1865Why are these Union soldiers parading in 1865?

Impeachment ballot recording votes of senators in the trial of Andrew Johnson, May 1868This is a tally for a vote that took place in the Senate in 1868. What was the vote about?

U.S. Capitol during blackout II. Horydczak, Theodor, ca. 1890-1971, photographer. March 1942, In this photo, taken after dark, there are no lights on in the Capitol building. Why would all the lights be turned off in an important building in 1942?

President's family leaves Capitol after ceremony.Shown are Caroline Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr. (2nd row) Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Patricia Kennedy Lawford (hidden) Jean Kennedy Smith (3rd Row) Peter Lawford. U.S. Capitol, East Front, Washington, D.C. What is the mood of the people shown in this photo? What do you think was happening at the Capitol when this picture was taken?

Group 2: What Happens in the U.S. Capitol?Task question:Using your textbook as a secondary resource, find the qualifications, roles and functions of the Senate & House of Representatives. (Hint: Use the US Constitution). Explain to the class what goes on in the U.S. Capitol and what the following images have to do with the work that takes place there. In your presentation make clear to the class how these photographs demonstrate that the Capitol is an important building.

Senate chamber in U.S. Capitol

House chamber in U.S. Capitol, remodeled

Foreign Relations Committee room in U.S. Capitol

Speaker's office in U.S. Capitol

President's office in the U.S. Capitol

Group 3: The U.S. Capitol and InaugurationsTask question: What clues can you find in each of the images to indicate that a special event was taking place? What can you tell the class about the use of the Capitol for Presidential inaugurations? Use your US History textbook as a secondary resource to find the political party and years of service for each president. Show the class several of the following images of presidential inaugurations that took place at the Capitol and explain your findings.

President Lincoln's inauguration, available on the Library of Congress

President Wilson, with top hat and speech in hand, delivering his inaugural address, March 5, 1917

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivering his inaugural address on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 20, 1941

Lyndon B. Johnson (left) being sworn in as President of the U.S. by Chief Justice Earl Warren (right) as Lady Bird Johnson and Hubert Humphrey (center) look on, January 20, 1965

Bill Clinton, standing between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, taking the oath of office of President of the U.S., January 20, 1993.

Barack Obama, standing with wife Michelle Obama and two daughters

Group 4: The U.S. Capitol and Its NeighborsTask question: After reviewing the following images and reading the informational texts (found in resource section), SWBAT answer: What other important buildings are in the vicinity of the U.S. Capitol and tell a little bit about what happens in them.

U.S. Capitol dome through columns of Supreme Court building

Dome of U.S. Capitol from Folger Library

U.S. Capitol from Washington Monument, with mask

View of the U.S. Capitol and beyond, showing the Mall and the Washington Monument

Show the class the following works of art, identify the subject, and explain why you think each object has been placed in the Capitol. (Note: This assignment offers a representative list of objects found in the Capitol. At The Capitol Project Index, there is an exhaustive list of objects in the Capitol with links to images of those objects. If desired, select objects that more closely match your curriculum.)

Mural in U.S. Capitol Building showing the burning of the Capitol in 1814. By Allyn Cox, 1974
Why is the Capitol burning?

The Army of the Potomac Paraded Down Pennsylvania Avenue. By Matthew Brady, 1865, available via a link from American Memory
Why are these Union soldiers parading in 1865?

Impeachment ballot recording votes of senators in the trial of Andrew Johnson, May 1868, available on The Digital Classroom
This is a tally for a vote that took place in the Senate in 1868. What was the vote about?

U.S. Capitol during blackout II. Horydczak, Theodor, ca. 1890-1971, photographer. March 1942, available on American Memory
In this photo, taken after dark, there are no lights on in the Capitol building. Why would all the lights be turned off in an important building in 1942?

President's family leaves Capitol after ceremony., available on the JFK Library, a link from The Digital Classroom. Shown are Caroline Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr. (2nd row) Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Patricia Kennedy Lawford (hidden) Jean Kennedy Smith (3rd Row) Peter Lawford. U.S. Capitol, East Front, Washington, D.C.
What is the mood of the people shown in this photo? What do you think was happening at the Capitol when this picture was taken?

House chamber in U.S. Capitol, remodeled

Senate chamber in U.S. Capitol

Foreign Relations Committee room in U.S. Capitol

President's office in U.S. Capitol

Speaker's (Speaker of the House of Representatives) office in U.S. Capitol

Bill Clinton, standing between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, taking the oath of office of President of the U.S., January 20, 1993.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivering his inaugural address on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol, January 20, 1941

President Lincoln's inauguration, available on the Library of Congress

Lyndon B. Johnson (left) being sworn in as President of the U.S. by Chief Justice Earl Warren (right) as Lady Bird Johnson and Hubert Humphrey (center) look on, January 20, 1965

President Wilson, with top hat and speech in hand, delivering his inaugural address, March 5, 1917

View of Dome from Folger LIbrary

View of Dome from Library of Congress

Dome through columns at Supreme Court Building

View of US Capitol and beyond

View of Dome from Washington Monument

Use the information provided to fill in the missing information. Draw a circle around the Washington Monument and write a capital "L" on the Folger Library.

Practice

See Activity section of New Material. Students are working in mixed abilty cooperative groups to analyze primary sources.

Assessment

Students will be assessed on the accuracy and completion of their cooperative group assignments as well as thier group presentation. During the group presentation, students should address the learning objective:

Identify economic, social or political activities that take place in and around the United States Capitol.

During the group presentaton, students should distribute the images they analyzed, answer the questions for each and summarize any informational texts (if applicable).

Teachers should use their class presentation rubric. If one is not available, please visit this link.

Class discussion: Discuss what makes the Capitol an iconic American landmark. How or why is the US Capitol a national symbol? What has made it such an important building?

Exit slip: List 3 events in American history that have negatively or positively affected the structure, design or occupation of the U.S. Capitol.

Closure and Reflection

[The closure of a lesson should directly tie the new material, student practice, instructional objectives, and assessment together. It should also connect this lesson to the previous lesson and link to the next lesson(s). In this is space you can also include your notes about how the lesson went. You should indicate what worked well, what was problematic, ideas for modifying the lesson for future use, and how this particular lesson ties in with others in the same curricular unit.]